Ongoing road work and potholes on the roads have made life tough for commuters in Whitefield, Bengaluru.
Bengaluru may have been ranked as the country's cleanest state capital based on Swachh Bharat parameters of open defecation and solid waste management, but some of the residents would disagree about the city's overall civic amenities.
In the IT hub of Whitefield area, members of the citizen's group, Whitefield Rising, are observing Black Friday as a mark of protest against the bad condition of roads and traffic snarls, by wearing black clothes.
When NDTV travelled to the posh area to meet the group members, the last two kilometres took nearly half an hour to cover. The residents say that we were lucky, as it often takes much more time due to ongoing road work, slowing things down further, particularly at peak hour. The potholes don't help matters.
One resident told NDTV, "Whitefield has potholes connected by bits of road!"
When our team reached Varthur Lake, infamous for images of frothy pollution beamed across the country in May, Nidhi Potharaju, an Environmental Consultant, told NDTV, "The ground water is polluted. The traffic and dust from construction makes this one of the most polluted areas in Bengaluru. Water-borne diseases are spread easily here."
With the city municipal elections later this month, the group has prepared a manifesto, listing out issues like traffic, roads, garbage and clearing of construction material that need to be addressed immediately.
A member of the Whitefield Rising Group, Suhas said, "All of us would vote in the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) polls on the August 22, even though we have been let down by civic agencies so far".
And with Independence Day around the corner, the group has a slogan, "Freedom from Bad Governance."